Hurricane of Change
by xYaoiGirlx
Summary: [BTN][shounen-ai][KaiJack] What happens one summer when Kai's Lodge gets torn down by a hurricane? The only person he can get to help rebuild it is the one person who's heart be broke.
1. Revelations

Disclaimers: I don't own Harvest Moon, though I did buy Back to Nature...and the characters belong to Natsume.

Maya=Jack just because I like the name Maya. *drools over Maya from Saint Beast* BTW, this is my first HM fic...it was a result of playing the game practically non-stop for the past week and a half... ^_^; Enjoy!

Hurricane of Change by Yaoi Girl

Rick, Popuri, and Lillia were shocked when Maya appeared at their house one early fall afternoon and said that he wished to sell all of his chickens. Barley reacted pretty much the same when he then went to his house and sold his sheep and cows, even returning the horse.

He had planted crops last fall, only taking care of them for about a week before they dried up, weeds overtaking his fields. The fences that once held his animals were now broken for the most part and were an additional eyesore to his fields.

It was now spring and nothing was planted; the weeds from last fall were gone thanks to the winter, and now new weeds were popping up.

Maya had hardly been seen throughout the fall or winter; he only left his house to go food shopping once every other week. To say the least, his relationship with Elli was no more; she hadn't stopped by in ages to check on him and only greeted him with a polite 'hello' if they crossed paths on one of the few days he was out. He was lucky to have anything resembling a relationship with anyone in town. The only person he could truly call a fried was Tobi, his loyal dog.

For some reason, on a particularly sunny and pleasant day towards the end of spring, he emerged from his house, pet Tobi for a few moments, and then he headed toward town.

A few of the villagers tried to greet him, but he merely waved over his shoulder as he continued walking, his pace never wavering. A majority of the people didn't even spare a glance towards him, but he didn't care, and he didn't know why.

What had gone so wrong with his life?

~*~

By nightfall, Maya had ended up at the dock, seating himself at the end as he stared out to a lighthouse in the distance.

Many of the people had seen a change in the boy a couple days before summer had ended last year, figuring that it was just stress. But the stress theory proved to be wrong; he always took care of his crops and animals, no matter how stressed out he was. He was simply depressed beyond reason, though only himself and one other person knew why.

"Maya?"

The boy didn't move in the slightest as his name was called.

Whoever had said his name took a seat beside him, sighing.

"Are you still upset about what I did last year?" came Kai's saddened voice. "I said I was sorry; it didn't mean anything. I just wanted to know what it was like to kiss someone…I never thought something so small and meaningless would destroy your life…"

"Why me? Of all the girls willing to kiss you, why a guy like me? And even though you said it meant nothing, it meant everything to me," Maya said softly and stood, walking off. It was the first time that he had admitted that to Kai.

That's the whole reason; Maya was in love with Kai, and the boy hadn't known that when he kissed him. That's also why Kai had come back a few days early this year, to at least try and resolve this whole mess.

~*~

It had been a perfect summer night, cool with no hint of a breeze, Maya recalled as he lay on his bed that night, staring at his dark ceiling.

He and Kai had gone walking and ended up resting in the clearing on Mother's Hill. They had been lying down, staring up at the stars and telling stories about their lives outside of summer, talking until nothing else could be said.

Maya then closed his eyes tightly, the image of Kai sitting up and leaning over him that night still fresh in his mind.

He had let his heart believe too early that Kai might return his feelings, though Maya had kept his own feelings for him silent.

Kai had then leaned down, slowly to him. It would be an all too romantic seen for any passers by, despite the fact that it was two boys. And Kai had kissed him.

The farmer's heart was soaring; he had been the one to deepen the kiss into a passionate one, and that's when Kai had pulled away.

"I'm sorry," he had said with a blush. "I hoped you wouldn't mind; I've never been kissed and I wanted to know what it was like."

Maya had then sat up, his eyes saddened as he looked into his Kai's. "So, it meant nothing?"

The boy had shaken his head and smiled. "Just curious."

Without further warning, Maya had stood and walked away, and Kai could've sworn that there were tears in the other's eyes.

~*~

'If only I'd known, I wouldn't have been so stupid…' Kai mentally kicked himself as he lay in his yearly bed at the inn that night, his silence odd to the room's other occupant, Cliff.

"I know it's none of my business, but why did you come so early this year?" the boy asked as he stripped off his usual shirt and pants, wearing only his boxers as he slid into bed.

"There were things I needed to talk about with someone. But things didn't go so well…"

"With Maya, you mean?"

At this, Kai turned his head to Cliff with a startled and confused expression.

"How did you know?"

"I, um, kinda heard it from Karen earlier. She overheard you two talking when she went to the beach on her nightly walk."

Kai sighed and faced the ceiling again. There was really no point in denying it, seeing as how Cliff didn't seem uncomfortable with the topic, unless Karen hadn't heard/told everything.

"Who else knows?"

"Ann, Doug, Gray, and Rick."

'Great,' Kai thought. 'Rick's the last person who needs to know I kissed a guy; but then again, he may lighten up on me, seeing as how it was Maya I kissed first and not his sister, not that I'd want to kiss her anyway…'

"So, the whole reason that…" Cliff began, propping himself up on his side with an arm supporting his cheek. "…Maya is so depressed and neglecting his farm is because of what happened?"

"What do you mean 'neglecting his farm'?" he asked, mimicking the other boy's position.

"The beginning of fall, he sold his animals, the fields began to overgrow with weeds…Hardly anyone sees him nowadays. When I do, I wonder how in the world he's still surviving seeing as how he hasn't shipped anything in ages."

On his back once again, he murmured to himself, though Cliff could hear it, "All this because of one little kiss?"

Deciding to let the boy go about his thinking, the brunette mumbled a goodnight and rolled over, turning off his light, Kai doing the same a few moments later.

TBC

Yes, no, maybe? Could I bribe you for a review? *offers candy*


	2. New Beginnings

Disclaimers: I don't own Harvest Moon, though I did buy Back to Nature...and the characters belong to Natsume. 

Hurricane of Change by Yaoi Girl

There were still four days left until summer came, so it wasn't time for the Seaside Lodge to open, and so Kai had stayed in the inn the second day of his return.

He had gone downstairs to get something to eat, though he took the food to his room; Doug was giving him strange looks.

After he had finished his meal and taken the dirty dishes downstairs, Ann came to clean his room, giggling like a maniac.

"Did you really kiss Maya?" she smiled as she began to sweep the floor.

"Yeah, I did," he admitted half-heartedly, as he was now reading a book he had brought with him.

"Is he a good kisser?" she asked several minutes later, after having finished with the sweeping.

"Ann, do you really have to ask something like that?" Kai yelped at the question, surprised at how outright she was about this, though it was somewhat expected since she is a tomboy. He then closed his book and set it aside, knowing he'd have to answer sooner or later; the girl had plenty of blackmail material on him from previous years.

As the redheaded girl began to strip down Cliff's bed, Kai ducked his head with a blush.

"It was great, better than I've ever imagined," he said, biting his lip afterward as he recalled it, his eyes focused on a knot in the wooden flooring near his feet.

"So, if you both enjoyed it, why is he so upset?" Ann asked, oblivious to his actions, seeing as she was busy with her chores.

Apparently, Karen hadn't told them everything.

"I think that he's in love with me…"

The girl then made a sympathetic face as she turned to face him. "And you're not?"

Kai shook his head and sighed. "I didn't know he was when I kissed him, or I would've thought twice about going through with it."

"You don't like him like that, not even a tiny little bit?" she asked as she sat on Cliff's now newly clothed bed.

"I don't think so; I mean, I always felt different around him, but I think it's just because he's the only guy that understands me. The only guy that trusts me, or at least, did trust me."

"Up up!" the girl said, indicating to Kai to move so she could strip and change his bedclothes. "I think you need to really think about this Kai. You're not even sure of your own emotions towards him."

"I know, I know…"

"And don't think about what everyone else will think; it's what makes you happy that counts. No one's going to run you out of town for being different. And my dad, well, he's a little homophobic, but he'll get over it," she smiled as she finished her chore.

"I kinda noticed about your dad," he replied, talking about Doug and his earlier looks.

"Well, I have to go clean Gray's room up, but if you need to talk about anything, don't be afraid to ask me! Oh, and I'd at least try to go make things somewhat friendly between you and Maya again; this town's really suffering without his crops, you know," she said as she finished his bed, soon after leaving to clean the next room.

~*~

"Oh, Mayor Thomas? Are you looking for Maya?" Kai asked the next day, noticing the man standing outside of the farmer's door.

"Yes, but it seems that he's either still asleep or he's out somewhere. Could you give this to him if you see him, please? I have to go to the next town over today, so I'll forget by tomorrow."

"Uh, sure thing," he replied as he took the letter from the mayor and tucked it in his back pocket.

Soon after the mayor had left, Kai walked over to Maya's bedroom window and peered inside, but saw no one. He then looked in through the front window and still couldn't find the boy anywhere in site.

He sighed and began to walk off the farm towards town, stopping as he heard a dog barking from the back of the farm.

"Tobi?" he whispered to himself, noting how the dog was frantically wagging his tail and darting back and forth over the bridge, staring and whining towards the mountain for a few moments before starting the cycle over again. "What the heck? I've got nothing better to do."

He walked across the farm and pet Tobi, who then took off up the hill with the waterfall and hot spring, Kai noticing that there was someone relaxing in the heated water once he reached the dog's side.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked hesitantly, Maya looking at him for the briefest of seconds before turning his gaze away.

"Do what you want," he shrugged. "You can use the extra towel."

"Oh, uh, Thomas wanted me to give this to you, but I think you might want to wait to read it," Kai said, not wanting to give the boy his letter while he was soaking wet. He then stripped down and wrapped the towel around himself.

"Yeah, I'll wait," the brunette replied as Kai slipped into the water at the opposite end.

"So…how's the farm life been?"

At this, Maya looked at him in disbelief.

"You walked right through it, so you should know."

This was true, but he hadn't been paying attention to the fields or the absence of chickens clucking or the cows mooing or the sheep baa-ing; he was only following Tobi's movements, hoping that the other boy wasn't in some kind of trouble.

"You really did sell all your animals?"

The brunette nodded and sighed, relaxing deeper into the water. "I may be moved out by next spring, you know."

"I won't let you," Kai said firmly, his eyes set directly into Maya's, as the boy had looked back up at him in shock..

The farmer's eyebrows then furrowed. "And why's that?"

"Because…" he started, tearing his gaze away, trying to figure out why he was a little uncomfortable looking at the boy for so long. The butterflies in his stomach weren't helping much either. "If you leave, I won't have any reason to come back here anymore; you're the only real friend I have in this town."

At this, Maya snorted.

"So, are you saying that you're not my friend anymore?" the other asked hesitantly.

"It's not that; you're just a terrible lair. You'd come back for Popuri and you know it."

"Why would I want to when her brother hates my guts and always puts me down? She's alright, but I've never really considered her anything more than an acquaintance."

For a while, the pair sat in silence until Maya stood and began to dry off with another towel, putting his clothes on. Kai followed a moment later.

"How are you getting along? I mean, money wise?"

"I'm down to about 300G, that's why I said I probably won't be here next spring," Maya said as the pair began to walk down the hill and toward the rundown farm, Tobi following merrily behind, wagging his tail all the while.

"I'll help you then. I'll stay all fall if I have to because I'm not letting you leave."

"What are you talking about?" the farmer sighed in exasperation.

"I'm saying I'm going to help you farm this summer; help get you back on your feet."

"What's the use? Seeds are too expensive in the summer for me to buy enough to survive on, especially if a hurricane or two happen to come through town."

"I'll pay for the seeds," Kai said as he walked a few paces in front of the boy before stopping, staring into his eyes, silently saying that he wasn't going to take no for an answer. "I'll help you plant, water, weed, whatever. Even if you won't do it for me, do it for the town. A lot of people still care about you, but you're not letting them in anymore. This town will go downhill if you don't help support them."

"What about your Seaside Lodge?"

"It can wait; it's only a way to pass time more or less while I'm here enjoying the countryside," the boy shrugged.

"Fine; but you promised to help, so don't let me down."

Kai smiled as Maya sighed again.

"Oh! Here's your letter," he said, handing the envelope to the boy before running off down the dirt path in front of the farm. "I'll be back in a little while!"

'What am I doing? I'm just going to get hurt again; I know it…'

TBC

I was hoping to get things a little further than this, but the fluff will begin hopefully in the next chapter. ^_^ At least they're talking again


	3. Kairi the Chicken

Disclaimers: I don't own Harvest Moon, though I did buy Back to Nature...and the characters belong to Natsume. 

Hurricane of Change by Yaoi Girl

Soon after Kai had left, Maya went back into the wooded areas to cut some wood, returning to a big surprise.

"I haven't named her yet; I figured that you'd want to," Kai smiled and shrugged as he stood around the newly build chicken fence, a lone chicken clucking and pecking happily at the ground.

Maya didn't know what to say; all he could do was look from the chicken to Kai and back to the chicken several times as his mouth opened and closed in attempts to form words.

"Think of her as an early birthday present," Kai finally said, laughing. "Now let's get some of these weeds out of here."

~*~

About ten minutes after they had started weeding, Ann came by with a basket.

"I made you guys some snacks and my own fruit juice," she smiled as she handed the basket over to Maya. "If you want, I'll stop by tomorrow too with food."

"Only if you want to," the farmer said. "Thanks for this; it looks delicious."

"Well, I have to go; I still have some errands to run for dad, so I'll see you around and I'll see you tonight Kai." And with that she waved and left.

Kai took the basket away from Maya and the other boy ran inside, meeting Kai under the apple tree with a blanket for the pair to sit on.

"That was nice of her," the brunette said as he began to eat, receiving a nod of agreement from his companion, who had his mouth full at the moment. "What time is it?"

After finishing the bite of sandwich, the bandana clad boy glanced at his watch.

"Almost three. Why?"

"I was just making sure we had time to run down to the store to get seeds."

"Already done," Kai smiled.

Maya smiled and continued to eat.

"I think I'll name her Kairi," the farmer said out of the blue, Kai having to follow the boy's gaze to figure out what he was talking about, understanding dawning on him as his eyes met the white fluff ball in the middle of the chicken pen.

"Kairi, huh?" he smiled with a slight shake of his head.

"Kairi."

~*~

After their lunch, the boys resumed their fieldwork: Maya hoeing and Kai planting.

They planted corn, tomatoes, and some green peppers, deciding to get other crops a little later in the season; what they had now was plenty to get Maya back on his feet.

"I asked Lillia earlier if I could borrow her watering can; Saibara's making me one," Kai said once they were done with the planting part. He then walked over to the side of the farmer's house and grabbed it from where he had placed it earlier. "So let's get busy!"

Both boys filled their cans and began the chore of thoroughly watering the newly planted seeds, both sweaty and tired from the labor.

They were just finishing up the last couple of seeds when Maya nearly dropped his watering can, his shoulders scrunching up against his neck as he shivered, water running down his hair and face into and onto his clothing, his hat giving him no support since it had long since been set aside.

"You looked like you needed to cool down," Kai said innocently as he resumed his watering, his eyes focused on the crops at hand, but amusement and laughter was evident in his eyes.

"Two can play at this game!" Maya smiled evilly, dumping the remnants of his can on Kai's head.

Both boy's laughed as Kai sat down his can and took off his bandana, wringing it a little before tossing it to land next to Maya's hat.

Since he had to turn his back to Maya to toss his bandana, he didn't see the other boy grabbing his can., but he did, however, turn back in time to grab the can before it was dumped over his head.

The two laughed as they tested their strength, trying to tip the can to spill on the other.

Tobi didn't know what to do; he was barking wildly at the boys, unsure of whether or not his master was okay, knowing that he would more than likely get in trouble if he were to bite Kai, so he ran around them, continuing to bark.

Kai pushed back hard, causing Maya to take a step back to keep from getting drenched again, but in doing so, tripped over Tobi.

The poor dog yelped and scampered away a few feet, watching as the watering can went flying out of the boy's hands and his master fall with Kai falling on top of him.

Kai probably wouldn't be in this predicament if he a) hadn't started the water fight b) hadn't had such a tight grip on the can and c) Maya hadn't grabbed a hold of his shirt in an attempt to stay standing. So now, here he was, staring into Maya's wide eyes with his own, both breathing heavily from their laughter and struggle for king of the watering can only moments before.

For Maya, this brought back memories of that night, causing him to turn his head, Kai gulping and standing moments later.

"Are you just going to lay their all day or what?" the standing boy asked awkwardly, knowing what was going through Maya's head, as he held a hand out to him.

"Sorry," was his response as he smiled a small smile and placed his hand in Kai's.

"It's no biggie," he said as he glanced up at the now setting sun, rubbing his arms as the temperature began to drop. "I, uh, should get back to the inn; Ann's probably wondering where I am for dinner."

"Thanks for helping me out."

"I'll be here around nine or so tomorrow morning, okay?" he asked as he gathered his bandana and the basket to return to Ann. "I'll come by earlier for the watering can; I promised Lillia I'd water her corn for her in thanks for letting me borrow it."

Maya merely nodded, his eyes mainly focused on the ground.

"Don't turn on me again," Kai said sadly, noticing how Maya was acting like he did the first day he came back.

"I won't; it's just…the memories…" he sighed as he rubbed his arms, the water and still falling temperature beginning to chill him. "I'm gonna head in, so I'll see you tomorrow."

"Night, Maya," Kai said as he turned to walk off.

"Night, Kai…"


End file.
